Mikasa: Battleship and Schoolgirl
by Karl the Artillery Piece
Summary: A lack of Mikasa fics? Time to change that! Set in a headcanon where both ship girls and their actual ships exist side by side. Nishiya, a normal school boy, was having a rather normal life. He did work, played World of Warships, and likes Naval History. So it's only natural that he is interested in this new student named after a battleship, right?
1. The Navy Boy

It was just another day for fifteen year old Nishiya Arimoto. Another day of boring Language Arts, boring Math, interesting Biology, and extremely entertaining History. Once school was out, he went to the nearest public bus stop (because there are no school busses in Japan) and headed straight home. Once he arrived, he ate a quick snack before jumping into his homework.

There wasn't much homework that he had to do and he easily finished it all in around thirty minutes. Once he was done, he immediately logged into his desktop computer.

His mouse hovered over a certain icon on his desktop. He took a deep breath and double clicked it.

A well awaited window appeared on the screen.

"WORLD OF WARSHIPS"

Nishiya stretched a little before bending over his keyboard.

"Let's get this party started!"

* * *

After a wonderful game involving the sinking of two cruisers, a battleship, and a carrier, he had a bit of dinner before jumping back to his room and opening up his history textbook.

He liked history, especially if it was navy related. If one would enter his room in its current state, one would see that various posters are plastered to the walls. Some are about history in general. Others are posters about various warships, like the Bismark, Iowa, and Yamato.

Perhaps this was why he was nicknamed The Navy Boy at school.

* * *

Homeroom is not exactly the most exciting time at school. Kids in the US even take that time to sleep, considering that they have to wake up at 5:45 every morning (true story). Nishiya is one such example. However, there was a bit of an uneasy atmosphere in the room that kept him awake. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Yo, Arimoto," said Noriyuki, Nishiya's classmate. "What kind of person do you think it's gonna be?" Nishiya shrugged.

"Beats me," he said. "Hope it's not another paper cutout-type." Noriyuki nodded.

"Some sort of mysterious one would be awesome," Noriyuki said. Nishiya sighed.

"Bruh, this isn't an anime."

The bell rang and everyone rushed back to their seats. Nishiya himself didn't move. He was already at his seat. He liked his seat, near the back and right next to the window. It made him feel like he was the main character of some dramatic plot, because almost all main characters sit next to the window near the back. Did anyone else notice?

The teacher walked in with an unfamiliar student in tow.

"Now settle down class," she said. "This is a new transfer student and starting today, she will be part of this class. Introduce yourself, dear." The new student bowed.

"My name is Mikasa Yumi (由海三笠)," the student said. "Nice to meet you." The other students replied with a similar "Nice to meet you," but a lot of the students were rather hyped about this transfer student. For the boys, they had to admit that this new girl was hot. This was an undeniable fact. For the girls, well, no one knows what goes on in a girl's mind so... yeah.

The girl's voice sounded bright and cheerful, but to Nishiya it sounded like an act. To him, it sounded as if the girl was actually hurt and didn't want anyone to know. It looked like his friend got his wish. This transfer student was rather mysterious.

* * *

It was around history class when Nishiya finally noticed, but the new girl would make a lot of historical puns in her conversations. Just how much she knew instantly hit him during this class.

"Can anyone tell me the total casualties of the Russian Baltic Fleet during the Battle of Tsushima Strait?" the teacher asked. The transfer student raised her hand.

"Yes Miss Yumi?"

"The Russians lost 4,380 killed and 5,917 captured, including two admirals, with a further 1,862 interned," she replied. The teacher raised her eyebrows in slight surprise.

"That is correct," she said, before continuing to ramble about how Admiral Togo's action of Crossing the T was decisive to the battle.

Nishiya knew how many were killed during the battle, but not the details of the casualties. This girl was rather knowledgable.

Once class ended, Nishiya also noticed a bit of a social problem. After almost every class at least one guy tried to hit on this poor new student. Those that try always receive either a polite "no thanks" or a shoe to the face.

Noriyuki ended up with a shoe to the face.

And he was pressuring Nishiya to try too. He sighed. Maybe just a chat...

* * *

"Hey," Nishiya greeted. Mikasa turned around, with an annoyed look on her face.

"What do you want," she said. "Are you here to hit on me or something?" Nishiya sighed.

"Nah," he replied. "Just wanted to know how you knew the the casualties in such detail."

The two were walking home and Nishiya got pretty bored. So he decided to ask the previous question.

"You just do research and it's there," Mikasa replied. "Isn't that how you know so much about Naval history?" Nishiya laughed awkwardly.

"Well... yeah..." he replied. "What is the muzzle diameter of the IJN Yamato's...?"

"427mm."

"Damn that was fast."

The exchange of trivia questions went on for some time ranging from the start of naval combat to now.

And, for the first time, Nishiya heard a genuine laugh from the girl, even if it was only a giggle.

The pair stopped at an intersection.

"I'm going that way," said Mikasa. "Bye!" Mikasa skipped away in the direction of the Naval base. Nishiya smiled and waved as she left. Then he began thinking.

Her name reminded him of two things. One was a certain anime character. Another was a Battleship. The girl skipped towards a Naval base.

Could it be...?

Nishiya stopped in his tracks.

Naval base...!? WELL SHIT!

He missed the bus stop.

* * *

Author's notes: Hello y'all! It's Karl the Arty! Here I am with my second Kancolle fanfic! I probably should be working oh The Land Warfare Boys right now, but I need to get words on paper, so here it is! Please rate and review review review review review review review review! It motivates me to write more!

Also there is a distinct lack of Battleship Mikasa stories. So... yeah...

Please review. **kolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkol...**


	2. The Battleship

There was an explosion to the starboard side. The crew of the ship was thrown off their posts. Guns were damaged. Men were dying. A girl, with long black hair and a standard sailor uniform, dashed to the place of the explosion. There was blood dripping down one arm. The girl arrived at the scene of the explosion. Her eyes widened. She walked over to one particular body.

The girl fell to her knees as tears began to stream out of her eyes. She gently shook the body, hoping that it would move. But it didn't.

"No..." the girl whispered. She felt her body collapse.

"No..."

* * *

"NO!"

Mikasa jerked awake. Her face was covered in tears and sweat. Her breathing began to slow down as she realised that it was all a dream. She looked at the clock next to her. The clock read 7:00 AM. She got out of her bed and immediately went to the bathroom.

The cold water from the shower felt cool on her face. She just stood there, letting the water wash all her ill thoughts away.

Once dried, she brushed her short, white hair until she was content with how she looked. Then she got dressed. Today was a weekend, so she just dressed in a t-shirt and shorts.

As she walked out of the bathroom she recognized a figure walking towards her.

"Oh, good morning, Akagi-san!" Mikasa greeted cheerfully. The Aircraft carrier returned a gentle smile.

"Good morning Mikasa," replied Akagi. "Why are you up so early?" Mikasa giggled nervously.

"Heh heh, just a nightmare, that's all," Mikasa replied. Akagi's expression darkened.

"Same one as usual?" she asked. Mikasa nodded.

"It's fine," she said. "I'm used to it now."

"Don't stress yourself," said Akagi. Then she thought of an idea.

"Oh yeah," she said. "The Akatsukis are going to the airport to pick up one of their siblings. Why don't you go with them? It's a lot better than staying here." Mikasa thought for a bit before nodding in agreement.

"Okay," she said. As Mikasa was about to walk out the door, however, Akagi stopped her.

"Don't forget to do your homework, okay?" Mikasa chuckled.

"Yes, yes, I know. But it's a Saturday, take a break from teaching."

* * *

The Akatsuki sisters were a very energetic bunch. The eldest of them, Akatsuki, constantly had to remind everyone that she was a proper lady, not a little girl. Then there was Inazuma, who was rather shy and was the more... moe of the group. Then there was Ikazuchi, who always wanted to be depended on and also seemed like she had consumed too much sugar for a year.

The group had arrived at the airport to pick up their fourth sister, Hibiki. Said person was walking out of the terminal building now.

"Hey, Hibiki!" said Ikazuchi. "Did you have fun in Russia?" Hibiki nodded.

"Da," she said. "I met a lot of my old friends while I was there." Mikasa's ears perked up at this.

"Did you see Aurora, by any chance?" Mikasa asked. Hibiki nodded again.

"Da."

"How is she?"

"She's fine. The Russian government is putting her back in "active" service again so they steamed her towards a restoration dock." Hibiki sighed. "She won't be in the public eye for a few months."

"Is it possible for me to call her?" Mikasa asked. Hibiki shook her head.

"Niet," she said. "She just got a new phone but I forgot to ask her number." Mikasa's smile faded away.

"Oh..."

* * *

When Mikasa arrived back at Yokosuka Naval Base, she took a moment to observe herself. She could no longer sail as she had before, for her hull had been secured to the base via concrete. Her guns were all replicas. All the originals were removed after World War II. There was no one to command her actions. Her admiral passed away long ago.

And the boy she loved would never return...

She felt a slight tickling sensation, something that she was used to. She looked over at her hull and found a young toddler trying to traverse one of her tertiary guns. Mikasa smiled at the sight. A peaceful world. She liked it.

Mikasa entered her room and sat down on her chair with a flop. It was a rather tiring walk, having to carry most of Hibiki's baggage with her. She switched on her PC and found a nice surprise waiting for her. It was an email. The sender's name was Nishiya Arimoto. Mikasa immediately opened the email and fluttered when she saw the contents.

There was not much in terms of content, but then she saw the line she wanted to see.

"World of Warships Beta Access Code..."

Mikasa smiled as she used the code to finally download the game she had been waiting for. She immediately began to grind down the Japanese Battleship line. Mikasa was surprised with how the bots in the game acted. This was the first time she was rammed to death by an AI. Still, she had to smile when finally made it to tier five.

* * *

Mikasa saw something in the matchmaking that she didn't expect.

"10thPanzerdivision"

Mikasa chuckled. Looks like this account was from World of Tanks. This 10th person was using a St. Louis, Tier III American Cruiser. Mikasa herself was using the Kawachi, Tier III Japanese Battleship. Suddenly, a wild enemy Myogi class Battleship appeared. The Myogi was Tier IV. Mikasa turned to port in order to bear the maximum number of guns on the enemy.

But the enemy got their guns pointed at her first.

The volley never came.

Instead, a volley from a different direction struck the enemy Myogi. The ship burst into flames. Two out of its three main turrets were crippled. The Myogi fired at Mikasa's Kawachi with its last remaining main turret before using a repair kit to put out the flames and repair the turrets.

By this time, Mikasa's Kawachi managed to turn all available guns towards the enemy battleship. She double-clicked her mouse, causing a volley to fire from four of her six 14 inch double turrets.

Most of these shots struck home.

Mikasa got a satisfying feeling when she saw that she had managed to penetrate the citadel of the enemy warship.

The whole entire time, a certain St. Louis was focusing as much fire as it could on the enemy Myogi. Broadside after broadside of High Explosive shells rained down on the poor battleship. Every time he repaired one thing, the St. Louis would cripple something else, then cripple whatever was just repaired. Simultaneously, Mikasa's Kawachi fired volley after volley of Armor Piercing. The Myogi's HP didn't last, and it finally exploded in a massive cloud of fire and smoke.

After that, Mikasa went on to sink two more cruisers while the St. Louis managed to humiliate another battleship and sink the enemy's Langley-class Aircraft Carrier.

* * *

Akagi peaked into Mikasa's room that night. Mikasa was sleeping on her desk, her homework finished, her PC turned off, and her phone clutched in her hand. Akagi got a little curious, and decided to take a look at what Mikasa had been doing on her phone.

 _Mikasa: Hey._

 _Nishiya: Yo._

 _Mikasa: Thanks for the Beta code. I had a blast._

 _Nishiya: I know. You completely wrecked that one Myogi._

 _Mikasa: Wait, how did you know?_

 _Nishiya: I was right? Lol_

 _Nishiya: I was in the St. Louis._

 _Mikasa: That was you?_

 _Nishiya: Yup._

 _Mikasa: Oh._

 _Mikasa: Anyway, I had a good time. See u on Monday!_

 _Nishiya: Bye._

Akagi put down the phone and smiled gently at Mikasa's sleeping face. It looked like she might have gotten over it after all.

... Or has she?

* * *

Author's notes: I. Hate. Finals! And even as I say that I get a decent grade on my Programming Final.

...Dafuq?

Considering I made this whole chapter during Study Hall, I'm surprised that I actually finished this chapter before the school year is over. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review. It motivates to write more.

And yes, Russia is here as well. **Kolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkolkol...**

 **Russia: Become one with Russia, da?**

Karl: HELL NO!


	3. Slice of Life

Mikasa's heart seemed to flutter every time Nishiya spoke to her. A lot of their classmates shipped the two, and constantly tried to get the two together.

Not that Mikasa and Nishiya didn't like it.

Most of the time, the two saw each other in WoWS, and Mikasa even got some of her friends into the game. The two usually sat together during lunch and often tried to out-quiz the other in their favorite subject: History. Sometimes, Mikasa won, usually with her more detailed questions. Sometimes Nishiya won, though his questions were rather vague they had a broader range of events.

At least those that ship the pair could recognize that writing a fanfiction about the two was going a little too far (This one doesn't count). One day, the two walked back from school when some of Nishiya's friends ran up to them.

"Hey look!" Noriyuki said. "It's Arimoto and his girlfriend!"

Nishiya used silence! Noriyuki became confused!

"Wait... you're not going to deny it?"

"No," replied Nishiya, with a sarcastic face. "She's a girl and she's a friend." Noriyuki facepalmed himself.

"That was not what I meant..."

The group arrived at the bus stop. Noriyuki then turned to Mikasa.

"Ever been to Arimoto's house yet?" he asked. Nishiya blinked in surprise.

"What the hell are you..." Noriyuki put a hand up, silencing Nishiya.

"Well?"

Mikasa shook her head. Noriyuki smiled.

"You don't have a curfew, do you?" Mikasa shook her head again. Noriyuki fist-pumped in triumph.

"Then come with us! Were going to this guy's house!" he exclaimed while pointing at Nishiya.

"Hey!" Nishiya said. "I didn't agree to this yet!" Noriyuki pointed at Mikasa.

"I think you're gonna have to," he said mischievously. Nishiya took a glance at Mikasa, who blushed lightly, and sighed.

"...Fine..."

* * *

Everyone immediately logged onto the nearest computer.

"What are we playing?" Mikasa asked. "WoWS?" Noriyuki shook his head.

"The next best thing," he replied. "Because not all of us have access to WoWS." The login screen of World of Tanks appeared on his screen.

"Team battles?" Nishiya asked. Noriyuki nodded.

"Team battles."

* * *

Nishiya and his group, excluding Mikasa, used to live in Pennsylvania. They went to school there for some time, and most of the time they met to play WoT.

A proof of that was displayed on a nearby shelf.

A third prize for the Wargaming League North America Silver League. They were the only team that was organized as an extracurricular activity by their school. They were rather well known as Emmaus High School's E-Maus Tankery Team.

When they arrived in team battles, they found that most of the opponents were easy to steamroll. Enemy teams tended to be made up of members randomly put together, thus proved to be rather disorganized during battles.

Mikasa watched these battles and was rather impressed with some of their tactics. They usually entered combat with a team of four T-54 Lightweights and three AMX-13-90s, five T-54 Lightweights and two LTTBs, or the occasional five TOG IIs and two T-54 Lightweights. When the TOGs appeared, they would employ tactics that were rare in tank combat, such as advancing line abreast. The TOGs would absorb damage from enemy tanks while the T-54 Lightweights would go in for the kill.

There were a few times that Mikasa herself had a go with the tanks, obviously in random battles. She proved to be rather good at higher tiers, while failing hilariously at low tiers.

Soon, the other members of the E-Maus team left for their homes, afraid that their parents would kill them for being late. So it was just Nishiya and Mikasa left. Mikasa got up to leave.

"Well," she yawned, "see you tomorrow." Nishiya got up as well.

"I'll come with you," he said. "Not exactly the best of ideas for a girl to be walking around by themselves at night." Mikasa smiled.

"Thanks."

* * *

"Are you really okay with this?" Mikasa asked. The two were walking down the street to where the naval base was.

"Yeah," said Nishiya. "My parents won't care."

"Speaking of your parents," she said. "Where are they? I didn't meet them when I was at your..." Mikasa trailed off when she saw the sad look in Nishiya's eyes as he stared off into the distance.

"... Sorry," Mikasa said a few seconds later. "If you don't want to talk about it..."

"No," said Nishiya. "It's fine."

Nishiya started talking. His mother died when he was born. Five years later, his father's merchant vessel was fired upon and sunk by accident by the Chinese navy, who mistook the ship for a Japanese warship. Nishiya missed them. He really did. But one thing let him pull through all the sorrow and death.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?"

Nishiya looked over at Mikasa and finally saw her expression. She was covering her mouth as tears were streaming from her eyes.

"Hey, are you..."

"I'M FINE!" Mikasa snapped. She then bolted off towards the naval base, leaving a shocked and confused Nishiya behind.

"...Did I say something wrong?"

* * *

Mikasa barged into her room. She dropped her stuff on the floor and broke down onto the bed, sobbing silently. He reminded her of the other boy. Too much. The painful memories were flowing back. The suicidal thoughts were coming back. The two were so similar.

Mikasa never believed that reincarnation was a thing, but at that moment, she couldn't help but wish that it was real.

* * *

Author's notes: That moment when your behavioral grade is worth more than your finals exam...

I got a 10% on the writing portion of my Spanish final and my quarter grade is a 92%.

... dafuq?

Also, for those of you that came to this story expecting action: This is my first attempt at something not centered around action so, you have been warned. There may or may not be some death and destruction, though.

Also: who's good at drawing? If you are, I would like to ask you guys to draw some concept art of what Mikasa and Aurora would look like. I need a good cover for this story.

Note: This is a joint production with Russia.

Russia: Become one with...

Belarus: BROTHER!

Russia: GO AWAY! *runs*

Karl: Danke Aurora.

Aurora: Pozhaluysta. **(you're welcome (google translate))**


	4. Family

The tears would not stop even as she slept. Everything was coming back to her. From the first time she met the other boy, to their first kiss, to the moment she lost him. For some reason, she felt that no one should get close to her, for fear of dragging them into some life-threatening situation. She had had enough.

But Nishiya seemed to offer her the comfort that she needed for the longest time. Japan was not a militaristic nation like it used to be. Times had changed. It was less likely that Mikasa would lose anyone close to her. She remembered one of the conversations she had with the other boy before everything.

Before the war started.

Before she lost him.

* * *

 _Flashback: January, 1904_

" _Hey," said the boy. "Do you believe in reincarnation?" Mikasa shook her head._

" _No," she said. "What's that?"_

 _The boy began an in-depth explanation of what reincarnation actually was. Mikasa laughed, putting the topic aside as rubbish._

" _But it makes sense, right?" the boy retorted. Mikasa shrugged._

" _Sure, but," she said. "People only live once. I mean, sure some living things can live a LONG time, but even they only live once."_

 _The boy laughed._

" _I only believe in this stuff," he said, inching a bit closer to Mikasa, "because I can't live as long a life as you can. But even if I can't be with you forever," he inched a bit more closer, "at least I can come back to you." Mikasa blushed at how close he was, but didn't really care._

" _Then you better come back," she said, inching herself closer to him this time._

" _Of course I will," he replied. "I love you."_

 _Their lips finally met..._

* * *

 ** _..._** **and Mikasa finally awoke from her dream, tears making puddles on her bed.**

* * *

Nishiya was slightly depressed when he got to school the next day. He personally felt that he made Mikasa cry somehow and wanted to apologize. When Nishiya got to school, however, he found that Mikasa was not there. He continued through the day as normal, but once school was out he immediately went to the naval base. Once he got there, however, he did not know what to do.

He sighed.

Nishiya did not know what he did wrong. Depressed, he walked back home. Then he stopped.

Someone was walking across the street towards the naval base. It looked like a Latin-American girl. Nishiya quickly forgot about her, however, putting her aside as some sort of tourist.

* * *

There was a knock on Mikasa's door. When she opened it, she half expected Akagi at the door. Instead she found a tan-skinned Latin-American girl standing at her doorstep. Mikasa's expression brightened.

"Canada!" she exclaimed. The girl sighed.

"It's Almirante Latorre," she said. "Get it right for once." Mikasa put on a pouty face.

"That's too long," she said. "Can't it just be Latorre?"

"...fine..."

* * *

"You can't fool me," Latorre said. "That smile of yours is fake." Mikasa frowned.

"... How did you guess...?" Mikasa asked sarcastically. Latorre rolled her eyes.

"Because Mitsubishi Heavy Industries used MY parts to repair your hull, superstructure, etc..." Latorre sighed. "Seriously, onee-chan, I'm not stupid."

"True," Mikasa replied with a lack of energy. Latorre turned her head to one angle.

"Is this about a boy?" she asked flat out. Mikasa's face immediately flushed red.

"W-What are you talking about!?" she exclaimed. "Of course not! Where did that idea even come from anyway!?" Latorre smiled triumphantly.

"Looks like I was right!" she said. "So what happened? Did he dump you or something?" Mikasa's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

* * *

The next day...

"So Latorre, how was your first day of school?" asked Mikasa. Latorre hung her head.

"Ugh... Muy mal," she replied. "Everyone kept on bugging me to speak Spanish or English and asking where Chile is on the map." Mikasa laughed.

"At least your Japanese is getting better," she said. Latorre nodded.

"Yeah... the kanji though..." Mikasa chuckled nervously.

"You're not the only one." Latorre blinked.

"But weren't you raised in Japan?" she asked. Mikasa nodded.

"True, but I was still born in England."

"Oh," said Latorre. "Forgot about that..."

"It's fine," Mikasa said. The two arrived at Mikasa's room. Then her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the message.

 _Nishiya: Can we talk?_

 _Mikasa: Why?_

 _Nishiya: My emotional state is as stable as the Balkans in 1914._

 _Mikasa: That can't be good._

 _Nishiya: I know._

Mikasa paused. Was this actually a good idea? Then again, Nishiya was her friend. And friends help each other.

Right?

* * *

The two agreed to meet near the Mikasa memorial ship (for obvious reasons) mainly because it was rather close to their respective homes. It was a rainy day. Latorre remained in Mikasa's room to catch up with studying (and chat with her friends in Chile) as Mikasa walked out the door.

There was still some time to kill. She walked about the lower decks of her warship self, playing some of the few audio tour stations, walking about the employee only areas, and other stuff. All the while pondering.

For all intensive purposes, she was more concerned about Nishiya's safety for some reason or another. Maybe agreeing to meet at the park was a bad idea. But a friend with an unstable emotional state is more dangerous. She didn't want him to try and kill himself or anything.

* * *

There was a knock on the wall next to Mikasa. She jumped in surprise and let out a small "eep!" Then she heard chuckling from behind her.

"Sorry," Nishiya said. "Couldn't help it." He tried to muffle his laughter a bit more, but it was still noticeable.

Before long, Mikasa started to laugh as well.

"Sounds like you're doing all right," Mikasa said.

"That's my line," Nishiya replied.

The two walked onto the deck of the ship. The salty air whistled across the ship, howling slightly as it flowed over the twelve-inch main guns.

"Okay, now to business." Nishiya turned around. "What the bloody hell did I do wrong?"

Mikasa blinked.

"What?" Then she remembered that she had been sort of shunting him for the past few days.

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied. "It's just that... you reminded me of a friend."

"What happened to... actually never mind," Nishiya stopped himself. Maybe not a good idea to ask questions about someone who probably died.

"I mean, you weren't at school the other day so..." a faint blush appeared on his face. "I was worried, I guess."

Mikasa's face slowly flushed red.

Well.

This is awkward.

"A-anyway," Nishiya stuttered. "Feeling a little better?"

"Yeah," Mikasa replied. "Thanks."

The two walked off the ship, but not before walking around for a bit below decks. They stopped at the gift shop, where Nishiya bought a Z-flag keychain.

* * *

"Oh yeah," Mikasa remembered. "Did I forget one of my notebooks at your house?" Nishiya blinked.

"Maybe," he replied. "I'm not sure." Mikasa smiled.

"Good excuse to go to your house then," she said. "C'mon! Let's go!"

Mikasa skipped across the street as Nishiya followed, a smile on his face. Then there was an extremely loud skreech. Nishiya's eyes widened. He ran towards Mikasa, who had a look of shock on her face. He pushed Mikasa onto the road.

The next thing Mikasa knew a car had stopped right in front of her and Nishiya was flying across the road.

* * *

Author's notes: Jeez... I'm horrible XD I feel like Yoshiyuki Tomino when he was directing (?) Victory Gundam. Killing off characters left and right.

Please review and such. It keeps me writing.

Keep on keeping on,

-SPSH Karl


	5. A Future of Darkness

She couldn't take it anymore. Mikasa sat outside the hospital door, her face clouded in despair. She couldn't bring herself to visit Nishiya. It was her fault. It was all her fault. If she did not run into the street, if she did not go to meet him...

She ran, not giving a single thought about the pouring rain mixing with her tears.

If she never was in his life in the first place...

* * *

Aurora stood in front of the statue of Admiral Togo, a slight frown on her face. The Russian navy was still restoring her hull, so she had a lot of time off. Aurora took a look around again, past the few foreign tourists milling around, past the gift shop near the shore, past the bus stop, and past the last pre-dreadnought battleship in existence.

She walked aboard the ship and entered the ship's superstructure. She moved a staff-only sign out of her way and walked down to the lower levels. Within the depths of the ship's hull lay its magazines. There was no ammunition on board, as the ship was a memorial ship. When Aurora turned the corner which lead to the forward turret magazine, she sighed.

"Finally found you," she said emotionlessly. Mikasa looked up at Aurora, her Type 26 revolver clattering to the ground.

"Oh, hey," she said emotionlessly. "When did you get here?" Aurora sat down next to Mikasa.

"Just now." She sighed. "Verniy was right. You are a wreck." She noticed some deformed bullets on the floor.

"It's ridiculous, right?" Mikasa said. She managed a forced laugh. "I can't even shoot myself properly." She emptied her revolver of empty casings. Aurora pulled out her Nagant revolver and leveled it at Mikasa's head. She pulled the trigger, and a deafening bang echoed through the room. What followed was silence, only broken by the deformed bullet clattering to the ground.

"Told you," Mikasa said. Aurora swore and returned her revolver to its original place.

"It was worth a try,"she said.

"It's my fault he got hurt," Mikasa said to herself. "It's my fault he died."

Aurora remained silent, aware Mikasa was talking about two different people.

"You had no control over any of that," Aurora replied. Mikasa shifted her gaze away from her revolver, reaching for the deformed bullets on the ground.

"What happened to you were accidents. You killed no one," Aurora continued. Her gaze shifted to her own revolver.

"You didn't have to shoot your own men..."

Mikasa remained silent. Aurora fired on White forces during the October Revolution as part of the Red Army.

"Point is," Aurora began. "None of what happened was your fault. Stop acting like you can control everything around you as if you are some almighty being, because you're not."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

"Still..."

Aurora sighed.

"You're going to need to face him at some point." She smiled. "At least you can see him again."

Mikasa nodded as Aurora walked out of the room. Mikasa's hand reached for her revolver again as she got up. When she arrived at her quarters, she tossed the revolver onto her bed as she collapsed on top of her pillow.

"'Do you believe in reincarnation?' huh," Mikasa muttered. She smiled as her tears stained her pillow.

"What do you think?"

* * *

Nishiya yawned.

Fortunately, the accident did not kill him, but left some lasting effects. His right leg was broken and his left arm was temporarily paralyzed. He lay there in his bed with nothing to do.

Nishiya glanced over at the door, as if he waited for someone.

Plenty of people had visited him after the accident, particularly his friends. A tank shaped cake sat on the table next to him. Nishiya chuckled at it.

"How the hell am I going to eat that?" he joked. Nishiya set the cake back on the table.

He sighed.

Nishiya knew Mikasa wouldn't visit him.

"Hope she didn't take anything personally," he said to himself. "She did nothing wrong..."

There was a knock at the door.

Noriyuki walked in.

"Hey there cripple," he said playfully, his mouth in a wide teasing smile. "I got some questions for ya."

Nishiya groaned.

"Dear God no..."

Noriyuki chuckled at Nishiya's response.

"Jokes aside," he continued. "You alright there? I heard you bounced off the road after the damn car hit you."

Nishiya nodded in reply, though he winced slightly as a sudden spike of pain zipped through his body.

"Yeah," said he. "I'm fine."

Noriyuki sighed at this fairly easy-to-read lie. He then proceeded to place a stack of papers onto the table next to Nishiya.

"Homework," Noriyuki said, at which Nishiya groaned.

"When am I supposed to finish this by?" Nishiya asked. Noriyuki shrugged his shoulders.

"End of the month, I guess?" he tried. "You don't need to do it all in a hurry."

Noriyuki would have continued if not for the fact that Nishiya had already begun work.

* * *

Latorre entered the apartment once school ended for the day. She went through her usual routine of dropping her bag off near the door, washing her hands, and checking Mikasa's room. As she entered the dark room, the lights had been turned off for some reason, Mikasa raised her body up from her bed to look up at the person who entered.

"Oh," Mikasa said. "Hi Canada."

Latorre found no point in complaining about what Mikasa called her at this point. She noted a few wet spots on Mikasa's pillow. Tear stains, perhaps.

"How long were you crying?" Latorre asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

Mikasa, seeing no point in denying what she had been doing, simply replied with a "No idea."

Latorre sighed. She sat down next to Mikasa, pulling out her phone as she did so. The light from the screen glowed dimly in the darkness as Latorre subconsciously scrolled through the gallery.

Photos of people she knew reflected from her now seemingly lifeless eyes.

"I saw Kongo and the others earlier," Latorre mentioned. Mikasa perked her ears up at this, as if it was something very much out of the ordinary.

"You did?" she asked. Latorre nodded in reply.

"Yep," said she. Latorre paused for a moment before continuing.

"I saw Asahi as well."

Latorre could hear Mikasa's audible gasp in response.

Battleship Asahi came into the world roughly around the time Mikasa did. They journeyed together. They fought together. They cried together. When Mikasa became a memorial ship, Asahi promised to carry on in the navy. She became a training ship in the 1920s, then as a submarine salvage ship. In '37, she became a temporary troop transport ship, then a torpedo depot ship in '39.

The old battleship, her hull aged 44, and Mikasa's last friend from the pre-dreadnought days, was sunk by the submarine USS Salmon on May 22nd, 1942.

Mikasa pulled her covers closer as she remembered. Noting this, Latorre put her phone back into her pocket before getting up from the bed.

"You aren't the only one who sees ghosts," said she. Then she left the room.

* * *

Author's notes: Long wait was long. Yes. I am aware of that. I guess I just ran out of steam for a bit lol.

Please rate and review. It motivates me to write more.

-SPSH Karl


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